WO2018219887A1

WO2018219887A1 - Maintenance of a utility vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2018219887A1
Application number: PCT/EP2018/063974
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert Müller; Robert THEILACKER; Matheus HABETS
Original assignee: Voith Patent Gmbh
Priority date: 2017-05-31
Filing date: 2018-05-29
Publication date: 2018-12-06
Also published as: DE102017111901A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for determining a maintenance state of a utility vehicle comprising steps of scanning messages of a communication bus of the utility vehicle; determining a subset of the messages, the subset being associated with a predefined component of the utility vehicle; transmitting the subset to an evaluation service associated with the component; receiving the evaluation result; and determining a maintenance state of the utility vehicle on the basis of the evaluation result.

Description

Maintenance of a commercial vehicle

The invention relates to the maintenance of a commercial vehicle. In particular, the

The invention relates to the maintenance of a commercial vehicle for the transport of people on the basis of messages that are communicated via a communication bus of the commercial vehicle. An operator of a fleet of commercial vehicles, such as a public transport service provider, may use a fleet management system to coordinate, for example, the journeys of individual vehicles. The fleet management system typically includes an on-board device of each commercial vehicle that determines data such as a location or a vehicle speed and transmits wirelessly to an external location. The transmitted data can be provided aboard the vehicle by a dedicated sensor, such as a positioning device, or can be tapped from a communication bus of the commercial vehicle. On the communication bus, for example a CAN bus

Messages transmitted between individual components of the commercial vehicle. A fleet management interface (FMS) defines a number of messages whose format and content are publicly defined and can apply to different commercial vehicles. These messages are described in a network protocol called SAE J1939. However, they relate only relatively roughly summarized operating parameters of the commercial vehicle.

Of typically several thousand messages per second, which are sent on the communication bus, usually only about 1 to 2%

FMS messages. The remaining messages are more specific to individual components of the commercial vehicle and often contain detailed information regarding a single component. For example, in the context of the FMS, only two messages relating to a transmission are provided, namely "transmission temperature too high" and "transmission interference".

Outside the FMS, however, there are about 500 different messages regarding Operating or maintenance parameters of a transmission defined that can reflect the transmission state more accurate. For technical and legal reasons, these messages, which lie outside the FMS, are usually not freely accessible in their structure, content and meaning.

The technical justification is that a component may be in different versions or may include different subcomponents. Therefore, a message often has to be analyzed in more detail or related to the specific component (including version, age and, if applicable, interaction with another component) in order to fully capture the message content. In addition, it may be necessary to exchange multiple messages with a component in the manner of a question and answer procedure in order to obtain the complete information. Many components are protected against misuse by communicating only with known other components, so it can be difficult to maintain a dialogue with the component.

In the design, versioning, execution, and combination of individual components of a commercial vehicle, there are so many options to choose from, that analyzing the importance of a predetermined message may require extensive knowledge of the specific component and technology used by the manufacturer. In order not to jeopardize the operational safety of the component, a subsystem or the entire commercial vehicle, as well as to prevent improper sending of messages leading to an undefined or dangerous operating condition, the analysis of the messages sent outside the FMS is usually reserved to a component manufacturer or system integrator ,

For the maintenance of the commercial vehicle, in particular for the assessment of a vehicle condition or degree of wear, however, component-related information is of great importance. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved technique for determining a service condition of a utility vehicle. The invention solves this problem by means of the subjects of the independent claims. Subclaims give preferred embodiments again. A method of determining a service condition of a utility vehicle includes steps of scanning messages from a communication bus of the utility vehicle; determining a subset of the messages, wherein the subset is associated with a predetermined component of the utility vehicle; the transmission of the subset to one of the components

Auswertedienst; receiving an evaluation result; and determining a maintenance condition of the utility vehicle based on the evaluation result. Due to the method evaluation results of different

Components are each provided by bodies that are particularly authorized and / or equipped for the evaluation. Such a point can operate an evaluation service, which can be reached in particular via a data network. Thereby, the maintenance status of the component can be determined and provided on the basis of all available messages on the communication bus, without disclosing the procedure for the determination. Technical and legal framework requirements for the evaluation of messages from the subset can be adhered to. At the same time it can be prevented that the operator of an evaluation service obtains more information than for the analysis with regard to the associated with him

Component would be required. This makes it easier to comply with data protection requirements.

The commercial vehicle is preferably set up for passenger transport. In particular, the commercial vehicle can be set up for the transportation of many persons, ie count as a bus, for which it can have more than nine seats. As will be described in more detail below, the method can also be carried out with respect to several of the described commercial vehicles, which together can form a fleet. The individual commercial vehicles may each comprise, for example, a bus or a rail vehicle. The individual commercial vehicles of the fleet are usually highly diverse, both in terms of their manufacturer, their type or design, as well as their age. The duration of use of a bus in a fleet for passenger transport in public transport is about 7 to 14 years, that of a rail vehicle about 30 years. By contrast, a truck is usually not used for more than 4 years. For the maintenance of commercial vehicles for passenger transport usually only a single workshop is used, which then has to cope with the large number of different vehicles. In addition, a commercial vehicle set up for passenger transport is often so versatile in its configuration that it can be produced as a single item

Order built and not produced like a truck in series and then sold. This diversity can be reflected in the complexity of the interaction of the components used. Over the long service life of the commercial vehicle, individual components can later be upgraded or retrofitted, which must be taken into account when analyzing the messages on the communication bus. By delegating the evaluation of messages relating to individual components to respectively assigned evaluation services, a secure and efficient evaluation can be ensured despite the high complexity and diversity of the individual commercial vehicles.

The maintenance status of the commercial vehicle can additionally be determined on the basis of further received messages that do not have to be transmitted to the evaluation service. For example, the evaluation result of the evaluation service can be related to other data that are known about the commercial vehicle, in order to determine the maintenance condition of the motor vehicle improved. In particular, messages whose format and content is documented, can be collected and evaluated over a longer period of time, wherein the evaluation of messages relating to a predetermined component can be made selectively.

In one embodiment, the messages are subdivided into those defined by an FMS according to SAE J1939 and those that are not. The subset may include at least one message that is outside the set of messages defined in SAE J1939. Such a message is usually legally or technically protected and its structure and content are usually not disclosed.

The subset may include at least one message that is within the set of messages defined in the SAE J1939. In particular, information relating to the individual commercial vehicle or overview information can be used, for example a vehicle identification number or a mileage. The breakdown of a message outside the FMS can be facilitated.

The maintenance state of the commercial vehicle may in particular comprise an operating state of the component. The maintenance condition can also

Operating or maintenance conditions of one or more components of the commercial vehicle include. However, the maintenance state of the commercial vehicle can also be formed such that maintenance interventions of one or more components are scheduled on the basis of the evaluated messages with regard to a remaining mileage or a remaining operating time and are thereby preferably combined.

The commercial vehicle may comprise a plurality of components, wherein a plurality of subsets of the messages are formed, each subset being associated with one of the components, the subsets formed being communicated to different evaluation services associated with the component, evaluation results received, and the maintenance status of the commercial vehicle being on the Based on the received evaluation results is determined.

A device for determining a maintenance status of a commercial vehicle comprises an interface for scanning messages from a communication bus of the commercial vehicle and a processing device. The processing device is preferably set up to determine a subset of the messages, wherein the subset of a predetermined

Component of the commercial vehicle is assigned. The processing device is further configured to transmit the subset to an evaluation service, which is assigned to the component, and to receive an evaluation result; and moreover, to determine the maintenance condition of the commercial vehicle on the basis of the evaluation result.

The device is preferably configured to carry out at least part of the method described above. The method or part thereof may be present as a computer program product and the processing device may comprise a programmable microcomputer or microcontroller.

Features or advantages of the method may also apply to the device be applicable and vice versa. In a simple embodiment, the device is set up to handle the communication with the evaluation service itself. A system comprises the described device, wherein the

Processing device of an external, that is located outside the commercial vehicle body is included and the interface on board the commercial vehicle and the external body by means of a wireless communication connection are connected to each other. The communication with the evaluation service is preferably handled by the external body. The external point can be realized in particular as server or service, optionally also in a cloud. The external body may perform additional analysis tasks, such as storing, aggregating, and / or analyzing information from one or more commercial vehicles over an extended period of time.

The external point is preferably configured to receive messages from a plurality of commercial vehicles of a vehicle fleet, to determine maintenance conditions of the commercial vehicles and to determine a maintenance status of the vehicle fleet on the basis of the maintenance states of the commercial vehicles. As a result, comprehensive comprehension of the operational readiness of the vehicle fleet can be supported. Planned maintenance, time slots, costs associated with maintenance, or vehicle fleet performance during maintenance of one or more commercial vehicles may thus be planned to be improved. A transportation service by means of the vehicle fleet can be maintained thereby improved.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a system for servicing a vehicle fleet of commercial vehicles;

Fig. 2 sets of messages on a communication bus of a

commercial vehicle; and

3 is a flowchart of a method for determining the

Maintenance status of a commercial vehicle represents. FIG. 1 shows a system 100 for the maintenance of a vehicle fleet 105 of commercial vehicles 1 10. The utility vehicles 110 are preferably designed for the transport of persons and may for example comprise a rail vehicle or a bus. The vehicle fleet 105 may be provided in particular for passenger transport, for example in the urban area, for a driving service or for a transport for sick or disabled people. Usually, the commercial vehicles 110 of the vehicle fleet 105 differ significantly in terms of their type, their manufacturer, their age or their equipment.

An exemplary commercial vehicle 1 10 includes a plurality of components 1 15, which may include, for example, a drive motor 120, a transmission 125 or a soot particle filter 130. The components 15 each comprise a control device that is configured to provide a message regarding an operating or maintenance parameter of the component 15. The

Components 1 15 are connected to each other by means of at least one communication bus 135 in order to exchange messages between the components 15. The communication bus 135 is usually implemented as a CAN bus and can connect a large number of components 1 15 to one another and preferably to an interface 140. The

Interface 140 may be implemented, for example, as an OBD2 interface.

The components 15 transmit over the communication bus 135 messages that are to be analyzed in order to determine the maintenance status of the commercial vehicle 110. The analysis on board the

Utility vehicle 1 10 or, as shown, outside of the commercial vehicle 1 10 performed by an external body 145. In this case, the external point 145 comprises a device 150 having a processing device 155 and a preferably wireless communication device 160, which communicate with a further communication device 160 which is connected to the interface 140 or directly to the communication bus 135 on board the commercial vehicle 110 can. Alternatively, the communication devices 160 may also be wired, for example. In addition, the communication may include a private or public communication network such as a cellular network or the Internet. The device 150 may further include a

Memory device 165, in which messages of the communication Busses 135 stored and from which the messages can be read out again. A storage device 165 may also be provided on board the commercial vehicle 110.

The device 150 further comprises a further interface 170, which is connected directly or with the interposition of a communication network with at least one evaluation device 175. By the evaluation device 175, an evaluation service can be realized, which receives a number of information of the communication bus 135 of the commercial vehicle 110 and returns an evaluation result. The messages and the evaluation result usually relate to one of the components 115 of the commercial vehicle 110. An evaluation device 175 can be operated by a manufacturer of a component 115. It is also possible to assign a plurality of components 115 to an evaluation device 175. Although the evaluation devices 175 are usually implemented differently and usually also remotely from the external point 145 or the commercial vehicle 110, one or more of the evaluation devices 175 can also be made part of the device 145 or the central point 150, for example if a manufacturer of a component 115 the secret protection on the component 115 gives up and either a documentation of the news or the evaluation process makes an operator of the commercial vehicle 110 and the external body 145 accessible.

It is proposed to determine a maintenance state of a commercial vehicle 110 of the vehicle fleet 105 by taking messages from communication bus 135, subdividing them into subsets, and analyzing the individual subsets on the part of the evaluation devices 175. Evaluation results of the evaluation devices 175 can be compared with each other or with information that has been determined by the device 150 based on the messages, or set in context. In particular, it is proposed to determine maintenance conditions of a plurality of commercial vehicles 110 of the vehicle fleet 105 in this way and thereby to provide a maintenance condition or a performance capability of the vehicle fleet 105.

Figure 2 shows quantities of messages on a communication bus 135 of a commercial vehicle 110, such as one of the system 100 of Figure 1. A first set 205 includes all messages that can be transmitted on the communication bus 135 of the commercial vehicle 110. The first set 205 may be defined as a superset of all messages that may be sent or received and evaluated by one of the components 115. Certain messages may be scheduled to be periodically transmitted, and frequencies may vary. Messages may also be event driven, where the event may include a previous message on communication bus 135.

For example, a first component 115 may periodically output a message indicating its operating condition. This message can be evaluated by a second component 115. If the operating condition includes an error condition, the second component 115 may send a message to the first component 115 to query details of the operational or error condition. The first component 115 may respond with a corresponding message.

The messages are usually distinguished with respect to their type, which can be specified on the CAN bus, for example numerically (Parameter Group Number, PGN). Each message type may be associated with a structure and meaning of the content of the message. A message type can also be dynamic in its length or structure, for which several subtypes of the message can be defined. An exemplary message type relates to a fuel tank level (PGN 65276), another dedicated to buses, the arrangement of doors in the vehicle (PGN 65102).

A set 210 includes messages whose structure and meaning are well known. The set 210 is a true subset of the set 205, and the publicly known messages may be specified in particular in the network protocol SAE J1939 (FMS). The width of the second set 210 is usually about 1 to 2% of the width of the first set 205. The second set 210 includes, for example, messages relating to a vehicle speed, the activation state of a clutch or brake pedal, an axle load, a number of hours worked or a mileage of the commercial vehicle 110. Subsets 215 of the first set 205 each include predetermined types of messages, and the individual subsets 215 may partially or completely overlap each other or with the second set 210. In a purely exemplary manner, in FIG. 2, a first subset 220 is associated with such messages which relate to the drive motor 120, a second subset

Subset 225 messages that affect the transmission 125, and a third subset 230 messages that relate to the particulate filter 130. Each subset 215 is also assigned an evaluation device 175, which is responsible for analyzing the messages included in the respective subset 215. An evaluation device 175 can also be several

Be associated with subsets 215. For example, an evaluation device 175 can be operated by a component manufacturer, which produces a plurality of components 115 of the commercial vehicle 110. The analysis of the messages relating to these components 115 can then be carried out by the same evaluation device 175.

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of a method 300 for determining the maintenance status of a commercial vehicle 110 according to FIG. 1. The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is assumed, in which the device 150 outside of the commercial vehicle 110 is part of an external location

145 is realized. Method steps performed on board the commercial vehicle 110 are in a left area, those performed by the apparatus 150 in a middle area, and those performed by one of the analyzers 145, 175 in a right area shown. Not all of the illustrated method steps are necessarily included in the method 300.

In a step 305, messages are scanned on the communication bus 135 of the commercial vehicle 110. In particular, the communication bus 135 can be scanned for this purpose. Preferably, a read-only access takes place. Messages on communication bus 135 may each be addressed to one or more components 115. Preferably, all messages are scanned in step 305. It is also possible to filter the scanned messages with respect to the respectively addressed component 115 or with respect to the message type. In a step 310, the scanned messages are transmitted to the device 150 and received by it in a step 315. Optionally, some or all messages may be stored in memory device 165 at step 320.

In a step 325, which may be event or time controlled, a subset 215 of the received and / or stored messages is formed to form a request relating to an associated component 115.

In a step 330, the request is transmitted to the assigned evaluation device 175 and received by the latter in a step 335. The service of the evaluation device 175 consists in the processing of the received information in a step 340. The processing is usually not transparent and may include additional information of a general nature about one of the received messages or about the commercial vehicle 110. Based on the analysis, an evaluation result is determined.

For example, messages received in step 335 may relate to the transmission 125. The request to the evaluation device 175 may have been transmitted because a message of the second quantity 210 indicates an error in the transmission 125. The messages transmitted to the evaluation device 175 can be very varied and relate, for example, to individual temperatures, degrees of wear, vibrations, switching states or other operating parameters of the transmission 125 at one or different times or as time averages. The evaluation result determined by the evaluation device 175 may include an indication of a suspected defect, possibly together with a maintenance notice. For example, on the basis of the present messages, a wear of synchronizing rings of a third gear stage can be determined and a maintenance recommendation can propose the replacement of the synchronizer rings within the next 14 days, alternatively the next 2000 kilometers mileage of the commercial vehicle 110. The determined evaluation result is sent to the device in a step 345

150 and received by it in a step 350. In a step 355, the device 150 may in turn determine the maintenance status of the analyzed component 115 or the entire commercial vehicle 110. For this purpose, additional information can be evaluated, which can be read, for example, from the storage device 165. The information received by one of the evaluation devices 145, 175 can be extended by a separate determination or adjusted with this. The result of the determination or the received result can be provided to the outside.

In addition, a maintenance plan for the commercial vehicle 110 may be prepared based on the determinations. For example, based on a current location and schedule of the commercial vehicle 110, it may be determined when the commercial vehicle 110 is in convenient proximity to a workshop that can perform the suggested maintenance. Other pending maintenance on commercial vehicle 110 may be scheduled for the same date. The maintenance date can be planned depending on the spare capacity of the workshop. Also, the maintenance date can be scheduled depending on a replaceability of the commercial vehicle 110. If, for example, no replacement vehicle is available and the service of the commercial vehicle 110 can not be dispensed with within the proposed maintenance window, then the maintenance date can be postponed.

The method 300 may be combined, concurrent or simultaneous for a plurality of components 115 of the commercial vehicle 110. The method 300 can also be carried out for a plurality of commercial vehicles 110 of the vehicle fleet 105. In particular, the maintenance or operational planning of commercial vehicles 110 of the vehicle fleet 105 can be facilitated or improved.

reference numeral

100 system

105 vehicle fleet

1 10 commercial vehicle

1 15 component

120 drive motor

125 gearbox

130 soot particle filter

135 communication bus

140 interface

145 external position

150 device

155 processing device

160 communication device

165 storage device

170 interface

175 evaluation device

205 amount of all messages

210 Quantity of FMS messages (according to SAE J1939)

215 subset

220 subset of messages drive motor

225 subset of messages transmission

230 Subset News Soot particle filter

300 procedures

305 scanning messages

310 Submit

315 receiving

320 Save

325 subset

330 Submit request

335 received

340 processing 345 Submit result

350 received

355 Determine Maintenance Condition

Claims

claims

A method (300) for determining a maintenance condition of a

Commercial vehicle (1 10), the method (300) comprising the steps of: - scanning (305) messages from a communication bus (135) of the commercial vehicle (1 10);

Determining (325) a subset (215) of the messages, wherein the subset (215) of a predetermined component (1 15) of the

Assigned to commercial vehicle (1 10);

Transmitting (330) the subset (215) to an evaluation service (175) associated with the component (15) and receiving (350) an evaluation result; and

Determining (355) a maintenance condition of the utility vehicle (1 10) based on the evaluation result.

The method (300) of claim 1, wherein the commercial vehicle (1 10) is adapted for passenger transportation.

The method (300) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the maintenance condition is additionally determined (355) based on further received messages that are not communicated to the evaluation service (175).

The method (300) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the subset (215) comprises at least one message that is outside of the set of messages defined in the SAE J1939.

The method (300) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the subset (215) comprises at least one message that is within the set of messages defined in the SAE J1939.

Method (300) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the maintenance state of the commercial vehicle (1 10) comprises an operating state of the component (1 15).

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the utility vehicle comprises a plurality of components. wherein a plurality of subsets (215) of the messages are formed; each subset (215) being associated with one of the components (1 15); wherein the subsets formed (215) are transmitted to different, each of the component (1 15) associated with evaluation services (175), evaluation results are received; and the maintenance condition based on the

received evaluation results determined (355) is. 8. Apparatus (150) for determining a maintenance condition of a

Commercial vehicle (1 10), the device (150) comprising:

■ an interface (140) for scanning messages from one

Communication bus (135) of the commercial vehicle (1 10);

a processing device (155) adapted to

o to determine a subset (215) of the messages, the

Subset (215) of a predetermined component (1 15) of the commercial vehicle (1 10) is assigned;

o to transmit the subset (215) to an evaluation service (175) assigned to the component (1 15) and to receive an evaluation result; and

o to determine the maintenance condition of the commercial vehicle (1 10) on the basis of the evaluation result.

A system (100) comprising a device (150) according to claim 8, wherein the processing means (155) is comprised of an external location (145) external to the utility vehicle (110) and the interface (140) and the external location (145) by means of a wireless

Communication link (160) are connected to each other. The system (100) of claim 9, wherein the external location (145) thereto

is configured to receive messages from a plurality of commercial vehicles (1 10) of a vehicle fleet (105), to determine maintenance conditions of the commercial vehicles (110) and to determine a maintenance condition of the vehicle fleet (105) based on the maintenance conditions of the commercial vehicles (110).